Life sentence for violent Sarasota robberies

Published: Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 9:43 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 9:43 a.m.

A man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for his role in two violent robberies in Sarasota in 2011, authorities said.

Pele Williams, 31, previously had been convicted of holding a gun to a woman's head as he robbed her outside Westfield Sarasota Square Mall and later taking part in a robbery at Gulf Gate Plaza in which a woman was shot in the leg, according to the Florida State Attorney's Office.

In the first robbery, a shopper felt a tug on her purse and turned to see a masked man with a gun at her head, reports noted. She gave up the purse, then watched Williams and a female accomplice drive away in a black Mercedes.

Fifteen minutes later, in a busy shopping center six miles to the north, Haygood shot a woman in the leg in a struggle over another purse.

The black Mercedes sped off, crashing a block away, then continued in a chase by deputies until the car broke down minutes later.

Williams had been arrested multiple times before and spent years in prison for two past convictions, records show. His record classified him as a repeat offender, making the two concurrent life sentences mandatory for his convictions on robbery with a firearm, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, principal to robbery with a firearm, aggravated battery and fleeing from police.

<p>A man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for his role in two violent robberies in Sarasota in 2011, authorities said.</p><p>Pele Williams, 31, previously had been convicted of holding a gun to a woman's head as he robbed her outside Westfield Sarasota Square Mall and later taking part in a robbery at Gulf Gate Plaza in which a woman was shot in the leg, according to the Florida State Attorney's Office.</p><p>Williams and an accomplice, Melodee Haygood, 23, struck at midday in crowded parking lots, targeting women walking alone, according to police reports.</p><p>In the first robbery, a shopper felt a tug on her purse and turned to see a masked man with a gun at her head, reports noted. She gave up the purse, then watched Williams and a female accomplice drive away in a black Mercedes.</p><p>Fifteen minutes later, in a busy shopping center six miles to the north, Haygood shot a woman in the leg in a struggle over another purse.</p><p>The black Mercedes sped off, crashing a block away, then continued in a chase by deputies until the car broke down minutes later.</p><p>Williams had been arrested multiple times before and spent years in prison for two past convictions, records show. His record classified him as a repeat offender, making the two concurrent life sentences mandatory for his convictions on robbery with a firearm, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, principal to robbery with a firearm, aggravated battery and fleeing from police.</p>